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Health and wellness fads have built foundations for viable business models in today’s global economy. Companies like Habit and Fitbit have prioritized holistic strategies that promote health and wellness as regular benefits of their tech-enabled services or products. Industries that similarly focus on health for the safety and well-being of consumers can find equally successful business models, especially when paired with innovations emerging in other industries.

My work and involvement with Urban Land Institute has me constantly thinking about how my real estate investments and projects are affecting the community and improving the areas that I am investing in. In commercial real estate, health-focused principles aren’t just trends, they're a stable foundation of the industry’s promising future. At the same time, advancements in artificial intelligence have also allowed the real estate sector, along with every other economic market, to improve and support healthier lifestyles for people. In fact, between 2008 and 2017, the number of tech-oriented real estate startups ballooned from 176 to over 1,200, for a cumulative worth of $33.7 billion.

Safety is one of the most basic principles of well-being. Although AI construction and housing applications are still in their infancy, they can impact the CRE industry by providing better security for those who occupy these spaces. Various AI and machine learning technologies from voice commands to facial recognition technology can improve accessibility, security and even infrastructure stability during and after building construction.

It's been predicted that robots will increasingly be implemented in new building construction. More focused precision can lead to better structure quality, offering longer-lasting residential and commercial buildings. For instance, building information modeling (BIM) allows architects, builders and designers to digitize coded information about building structure and functions. By layering BIM tech with property-based machine communication, sensors in walls can signal if there are any signs of building depreciation and at which stage. Robots can then inspect and repair structural damage without the chance of human workers getting hurt, making construction and maintenance safer for everyone.

Along with optimizing building structures and providing predictive maintenance, AI and machine learning might also provide fault detection for the safety of visitors and residents of commercial and residential properties. In the future, building issues and anomalies will be automatically detected by AI through data and then immediately find the cause. In tandem with national operations center data, this can be filtered to determine the needs of consumers for the best ways to fill resource-limited spaces.

2. Data-Driven Comfort

Real estate companies are also realizing the usefulness of AI-enabled data and sensor technology to provide more comfortable and efficient spaces for consumers. As they create new opportunities for the tenant to take hold of their space, buildings can become personalized for monitoring, home safety and senior care.

Innovative smart-building systems still require human operation to function, but modern structures now implement AI-based microservices that use personal digital assistants or tracking devices to understand the buildings, along with their tenants’ needs and preferences to maximize buildings for comfort.

AI tech is being designed to identify residences that have problems with heating to cooling retention. Tracking devices can automate lighting and turn on/off heating and cooling zones based on movements. In commercial properties, tracking and monitoring devices could become more complex soon, too. For example, motion sensors could track and record a tenant's daily routine so that they can find comfort in knowing which chores were completed. Voice-activated AI projectsseek to install AI in people’s homes with cameras, microphones, door locks, faucets, switches and other electronic devices. These smart-home systems can monitor movement through rooms, automate settings and controls and answer questions. As services become more advanced at tracking people’s routines, connected devices can offer more customizable options for comfort and efficiency.

In addition, it’s predicted that smart home technology will be able to assess humans' biometric data to monitor and notify them of high-risk temperatures or health hazards in the home. Through the eventual mass adoption of AI microservices within homes and commercial spaces, consumers can soon enjoy simple solutions for everyday life.

3. Sustainability

AI-based data can also provide more proactive sustainability through smart building functions. Predictive energy optimization can reduce energy use and assess and calculate what resources to utilize in real-time. While today’s ordinary buildings rely on data with the ability to fix energy inefficiencies after the problem occurs, AI’s predictive analytics could adjust energy resources almost instantly.

They can also monitor weather forecasts and control environment adjustments. When optimizing heating and cooling, room temperatures can fluctuate rapidly. AI-based energy management systems can identify thermal fluctuations in rooms to identify when to pre-cool a building or avoid use during peak hours or when energy pricing is high.

Already, Manhattan has implemented this type of function in large commercial structures like the Empire State Building. Predictive machine learning models in conjunction with vector regression allows the system to identify the building’s historical energy use and temperature patterns through wet-bulb humidity data within the building interior and exterior to effectively model performance every day. By tracking some tenant-specific and seasonal visitor variations, the data can make close energy usage approximations.

But it’s not just HVAC systems and lighting controls with which AI can help provide clean energy. Machine learning can also identify roof and insulation issues during construction and water usage patterns, while also offering AI-functional day-lighting options through data-based analysis. With this data, it can identify the best combination of building materials during the construction process, offering energy-efficient resolutions.

Overall, these buildings can offer new, balanced ways of living using healthier, energy-saving materials that maximize safety and comfort. In time, AI could provide us with a safe haven with technology inside and outside of the home.